Promote your local business with a blog., Photo by tedhosmann.

Most every business can benefit from a blog or company website. Most companies will put up a small site that gives details about their business such as location and hours. But your company site could be doing far more to promote your business.

Let us look at a few specific examples of how brick and mortar business could be using a blog.

Promote Local Florist with a Blog

Most florists use a website to display examples of arrangements for sale, but few local florists use their sites to benefit their local businesses. A well-written blog with excellent photos could bring in a lot of business to a local florist.

When a teenager needs to order a corsage for prom, he will usually google for information. A local florist will come up high in the listings if there is an article available on the subject he is interested in. He wants to know the significance of each flower, how to match the flowers to the dress, which flowers are most popular today, and how much will it cost.  Well-written articles with lots of pictures that answer the question of teens ordering flowers for the first time will get noticed and bring buyers into your shop.

Promote Your Local Daycare Center With a Blog

A day care center can use a blog or website to keep parents up on what is going on in the classroom. What is the class studying this week, what is the lunch menu, when is the field trip? Post the qualifications of your teachers and information about the activities the kids will be doing.

These kinds of posts take a while to produce and must be kept updated, but they show parents the quality of your program and allow prospective parents to learn about your program without visiting. Articles about what to look for in a quality program, and how your program exceeds these requirements, will do most of the selling before prospective parents ever walk in the door.

Be careful never to post information about the kids or their names unless the area is behind a password protected area for the parents only.

How Could Your Business Use a Blog?

Write about the hottest trends and latest products in your industry and answer the questions that your customer might have.  I will give more specific examples tomorrow. Do you have a specific business you would like me to address? Leave a comment and I will try to answer you in a future post.

Be the News Expert, photo by captsolo

It is important for a business person to be an expert in his own field, and most people will accept you as an expert simply because you are in the business. But being accepted as an expert and being the recognized expert are two different things.

Why do certain business people always get mentioned in the media, when other more knowledgeable experts go without notice?  It is not because of their vast knowledge, but because they are recognized or known by the media.

Promote Your Business

A mention in the newspaper or on the local news is valuable to the promotion of your business. People will want to ask your opinion or hang around you because of your success in the media. They will want to give you their business because they perceive you as an expert and as a successful person.

So how can you get that valuable free publicity? How can you get your foot in that door? Begin a media campaign designed to get that recognition and become the go-to expert in your field.

Make Yourself Known

If you know any writers for the TV or the newspapers, you are probably already aware of their constant need for sources. You are doing them a favor by making yourself available when a quote is needed.

Introduce yourself to writers whenever you have the opportunity. Exchange business cards.  Let them know that you are available, but don’t blow your own horn. Instead, just be helpful.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Tell them about your business and let them know that you are available as an expert, if they might need you. Never waste their time, and don’t harass them. Just be quietly available.

Stay on top of business developments in your field. Whenever anything newsworthy crops up, give the reporter or editor a quick call. Leave a message letting them know about current developments and why it would make a good story. If it turns into a news report, you will be recognized as a source.

Be quick to return calls from reporters. The first person to answer the phone will likely be quoted.

If you have not already done so, sign up with HARO (Help a Reporter Out). See my recent post for more information on this free service.

Give back to the community:

Share your expertise with your church or community group. Become known for taking action and being a problem solver in your field.

Teach a class on your business or industry and give it your best effort. Teachers are recognized as experts, and the process of teaching requires you to explain your industry in a way that anyone can understand.  Make sure that your class is advertised and issue a press release about it from your business as well.

Be in the Business of Helping Others

Marketing your business is as simple as getting your name out there. Usually the best results are obtained when others recommend you or recognize you as an expert. Be in the business of helping others and let them toot your horn for you.

Need a Writer?

Do you need a writer to help promote your business online, put together that course or write a press release. I am available at very reasonable rates. Check out my resume and Hire Me page.

A press release needs to contain newsworthy information, so use it carefully. When you first start your business or release a new product, a press release may get noticed. Is your business sponsoring a charity event or working for a newsworthy cause? Get the word out with a press release.

Where to Use a Press Release

Press releases should be sent to all local papers that might be interested in your story. But don’t stop there. The internet has many sites that publish business-related news and information.

Write articles about your start-up experience that may benefit people interested in starting a similar business. How about an article about the things that worked for you, and another about what does not work? These articles would be of interest to many business minded people and would get notice for your business.

How to Write Your Press Release

While your press release should contain all the facts related to your business, it cannot be a simple recitation of the facts. Instead, write the story of your business. Tell a story. Make it an interesting read that will benefit or entertain the reader. An interesting story will be published and re-published, read and discussed.

Hire a Writer

The best person to tell your story is you. Talk to others close to you and your business. Ask them to share what they feel to be the story of your business. You may gain some insight and find a new angle for your press release.

If you are still having trouble writing the story of your business, hire a writer. Make sure the writer you hire knows that you want more than a simple recitation of facts. Help her find and write your story in a newsworthy way.